Laundry treatment appliance with a compressor cooling line in parallel with processing air line

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a laundry treatment appliance ( 1 ) comprising a drum wherein the laundry to be processed is placed and a machine compartment ( 2 ) wherein a circulation fan ( 8 ) circulating the processing air and a compressor ( 3 ) realizing the refrigerant cycle in communication with an evaporator ( 5 ) and a condenser ( 6 ), are disposed. An intermediate region ( 7 ) is provided in between the evaporator ( 5 ) and the condenser ( 6 ) so as to establish a compressor cooling line.

The present invention relates to a laundry treatment appliance having a compressor cooling line in parallel with the line through which the processing air is circulated.

A heat pump laundry dryer typically has a closed cycle drying process. The heat pump used for drying the laundry is composed of the compressor that moves the refrigerant fluid and heat sinks named as evaporator and condenser. They comprise flow tubes through which the refrigerant circulates; the compressor provides the circulation of the refrigerant by pressurizing it.

The laundry-drying process is performed by passing hot and dry air over the laundry. The condenser disposed in the heat pump functions as a heater and the evaporator functions as a condenser. Humid air leaving the laundry leaves its moisture while passing over the evaporator that works as the condenser and warms while passing over the condenser that works as the heater. Therefore, the processing air is heated while passing from the condenser, delivered onto the laundry as being heated and after dehumidifying the laundry, leaves its humidity while passing over the evaporator.

In the cycle wherein the refrigerant circulates in the flow tubes, the refrigerant that is delivered from the compressor to the condenser with increased pressure and temperature enters the evaporator by passing through the capillary tube with decreased pressure. As the compressor's mechanical components are needed to be cooled down to avoid them reaching critical operational temperature values, an intake air fan is conventionally provided to suck ambient air in order for blowing it over the compressor.

A prior art publication in the technical field of the present invention may be referred to as WO2009020322 among others, the document disclosing a clothes-treating apparatus and a controlling method thereof. A cooling fan is provided in a mechanism compartment so as to be operated only if an internal environment component of the mechanism compartment is out of the normal operational condition.

The laundry treatment appliance according to the present invention provides that the compressor is cooled without necessarily employing a fan but by means of an additional cooling line.

The present invention therefore provides an arrangement as to the cooling of the compressor by which a more efficient thermal performance is achieved, as is defined by the characterizing features of claim 1.

Primary object of the present invention is hence to provide a laundry treatment appliance having a heat pump for drying the laundry, said appliance having a compressor which is more efficiently cooled without involving a cooling fan and without generating thermally overly non-homogeneous regions that can negatively impact the overall thermal efficiency.

The present invention proposes a laundry drier with a drum and a heat pump. A machine compartment encloses the heat pump components, i.e. a compressor, an evaporator and a condenser as well as a circulation fan for circulating the processing air. A cooling ring with two ends in the form of an annular conduit surrounds the compressor such that a first conduit end thereof extends into an intermediate region between the evaporator and the condenser and the other conduit end extends to an exit side of the condenser.

The cooling ring is in air communication with a by-pass line inlet channel constituting the first conduit end and with a by-pass line outlet channel constituting the second conduit end thereof. The intermediate region in between the evaporator and the condenser is a middle division into which the by-pass line inlet channel opens. The processing air from the intermediate region is transferred to a machine compartment part wherein the circulation fan circulates the processing air. The cooling ring is a ring-like annular member in annular contact relationship with said compressor.

Accompanying drawings are given solely for the purpose of exemplifying a laundry treatment appliance, whose advantages over prior art were outlined above and will be explained in brief hereinafter.

The drawings are not meant to delimit the scope of protection as identified in the claims nor should they be referred to alone in an effort to interpret the scope identified in said claims without recourse to the technical disclosure in the description of the present invention.

FIG. 1 demonstrates a general perspective view of a laundry treatment appliance according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 demonstrates a perspective view of the mechanism compartment of the laundry treatment appliance in which the heat pump components are placed.

FIG. 3 demonstrates a perspective view of the mechanism compartment of the laundry treatment appliance in which the heat pump components are placed according to the present invention.

The following numerals are used in this detailed description:

1. Laundry treatment appliance

2. Mechanism compartment

3. Compressor

4. Compressor cooling fan

5. Evaporator

6. Condenser

7. Intermediary region

8. Circulation fan

9. Cooling ring

10. By-pass line inlet channel

11. By-pass line outlet channel

12. Fan suction opening

The present invention relates to a laundry treatment appliance (1) comprising a drum wherein the laundry to be dried is placed and a compressor (3) in a mechanism compartment (2) of the laundry treatment appliance (1), realizing the refrigerant cycle in a conventional manner. The compressor (3) typically moves the refrigerant fluid and heat sinks named as evaporator (5) and condenser (6) disposed in the heat pump respectively function as a condenser and a heater. In the cycle wherein the refrigerant circulates in the flow tubes, the refrigerant that is delivered from the compressor (3) to the condenser (6) with increased pressure and temperature enters the evaporator (5) by passing through the capillary tube with decreased pressure. In a nutshell, the present invention proposes a laundry treatment appliance (1) and particularly a laundry drier or a combo washing/drying machine comprising a drum wherein the laundry to be processed is placed and a machine compartment (2) wherein a circulation fan (8) circulating the processing air and a compressor (3) realizing the refrigerant cycle in fluid communication with an evaporator (5) and a condenser (6), are disposed.

The moisture-laden processing air leaving the laundry loses its moisture and cools down while passing over the evaporator (5) and warms again while passing over the condenser (6). Therefore, the processing air heated before delivery into the drum and onto the laundry and after dehumidifying the laundry, leaves its humidity over the evaporator (5). According to the present invention, an intermediate region (7) is provided in between the evaporator (5) and the condenser (6) so as to establish a compressor cooling line. To this end, a cooling ring (9) is provided in the manner to have a contact relationship with the compressor (3) encircling the same. The cooling ring (9) has a by-pass line inlet channel (10) in air communication with an intermediate region (7) extending in between the evaporator (5) and the condenser (6) and separating the two. More precisely, the intermediate region (7) in between the evaporator (5) and the condenser (6) is a linear separation line into which said by-pass line inlet channel (10) opens.

Said by-pass line inlet channel (10) therefore provides air communication with the intermediate region (7), which contains the cooler processing air after having passed over the evaporator (5) and before passing over the condenser (6). The processing air being circulated by said circulation fan (8), the cooler processing air within said intermediate region (7) is circulated through the cooling ring (9) and released by a by-pass line outlet channel's (11) fan suction opening (12) at an exit side of the condenser (6), so as to be mixed with the processing air heated by the condenser (3) while passing over the same. Therefore, the cooler processing air within said intermediate region (7), after having served to the purpose of cooling said compressor (3) down and heated by said compressor (3), is directly transferred to the frontal impact area of the circulation fan (8) by said by-pass line outlet channel (11). In a nutshell, the present invention proposes a cooling ring (9) in contact relationship with the compressor (3) encircling the same and which is in air communication with said intermediate region (7) extending between said evaporator (5) and said condenser (6) and with an exit side of the condenser (6). The intermediate region (7) in between the evaporator (5) and the condenser (6) is a separation line or space into which the by-pass line inlet channel (10) opens.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the processing air from the intermediate region (7) is directly transferred to the frontal impact area of the circulation fan (8) by means of said by-pass line outlet channel (11). The frontal impact area of the circulation fan (8) is preferably substantially close to the exit side of the condenser (6) so that the mixed processing air coming from around the condenser (6) and from the by-pass line outlet channel (11) is directly circulated by the circulation fan (8). The cooling ring (9) is a ring-like member in annular contact relationship with said compressor (3) so as to maximize thermal exchange capacity thereinbetween.

The present invention therefore avoids employing a compressor cooling fan (4) specifically designed to cool the compressor (3) down by blowing air over the same so as to limit the maximum operational temperature thereof. Use of a compressor cooling fan (4) is disadvantageous in that it both constitutes an additional energy loss and disrupts the heat distribution profile in the mechanism compartment (2) such that thermally overly non-homogeneous regions are generated therein. More specifically, the processing air heated by the condenser (6) displaces in the direction of said compressor cooling fan's (4) frontal impact area, having a negative impact on the system's thermal performance. Therefore, in addition to the fact that the invention's arrangement ensures that a more efficient energy consumption profile is obtainable by way of avoiding use of a compressor cooling fan (4), the proposed cooling ring (9) provides that a more controlled temperature increase is obtained in the region of the compressor (3) as the heat transfer from around the condenser (6) is diminished, which also contributes to the overall thermal performance. 

1. A laundry treatment appliance (1) comprising a drum wherein the laundry to be processed is placed and a machine compartment (2) wherein a circulation fan (8) circulating the processing air and a compressor (3) realizing the refrigerant cycle in fluid communication with an evaporator (5) and a condenser (6), are disposed, characterized in that a cooling ring (9) in contact relationship with the compressor (3) encircling the same is provided in air communication with an intermediate region (7) extending between said evaporator (5) and said condenser (6) and with an exit side of the condenser (6).
 2. A laundry dryer (1) as in claim 1, characterized in that said cooling ring (9) is in air communication with a by-pass line inlet channel (10) and a by-pass line outlet channel (11).
 3. A laundry dryer (1) as in claim 2, characterized in that said intermediate region (7) in between the evaporator (5) and the condenser (6) is a separation line into which the by-pass line inlet channel (10) opens.
 4. A laundry dryer (1) as in claim 2, characterized in that the processing air from the intermediate region (7) is directly transferred to frontal impact area of the circulation fan (8) by means of said by-pass line outlet channel (11).
 5. A laundry dryer (1) as in claim 4, characterized in that the cooling ring (9) is a ring-like annular member in annular contact relationship with said compressor (3).
 6. A laundry dryer (1) as in claim 3, characterized in that the processing air from the intermediate region (7) is directly transferred to frontal impact area of the circulation fan (8) by means of said by-pass line outlet channel (11).
 7. A laundry dryer (1) as in claim 1, characterized in that the cooling ring (9) is a ring-like annular member in annular contact relationship with said compressor (3).
 8. A laundry dryer (1) as in claim 2, characterized in that the cooling ring (9) is a ring-like annular member in annular contact relationship with said compressor (3).
 9. A laundry dryer (1) as in claim 3, characterized in that the cooling ring (9) is a ring-like annular member in annular contact relationship with said compressor (3).
 10. A laundry dryer (1) as in claim 6, characterized in that the cooling ring (9) is a ring-like annular member in annular contact relationship with said compressor (3). 